Mac Allister's Arne Slot admission: "Something was going wrong"

Alexis Mac Allister has admitted that "something was not right" within the Liverpool squad last season under Arne Slot.

Slot led Liverpool to the title in 2024-25, becoming the 7th manager to win the Premier League in his first year in the competition. However, the Reds went into decline the following campaign, finishing 5th in the league and making little impression in the cup competitions.

Slot was sacked at the end of the season and Andoni Iraola was appointed in his place. Liverpool have made a strong start under the Spaniard, suffering just one defeat so far. Most recently, the Reds came from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 in the Champions League.

Mac Allister, who scored his side's first goal at Anfield, acknowledged that things never fell into place in Slot's second season and highlighted Iraola's role in the turnaround.

"Last year was a really difficult season for all of us," the Argentine midfielder said. "It was very clear that I wasn't at my level. I'd be the first person to say so, and I'm not afraid to admit it."

Addressing the dynamics within the squad, Mac Allister added: "Something was going wrong within the group. Our new manager changed that, and it was a really crucial step. The way we play is also quite different. I don't really like making comparisons, but I feel good right now; this is the football I want and enjoy. We play more man-to-man now. Because you're tracking your opponent directly, you need less communication on the pitch. Last year the system was based more on zonal marking. We play zonal with the national team as well and it works, but here we prefer to go one-on-one and that's paying off too. In the end, it's all about us taking responsibility."

Liverpool have avoided defeat in 5 of the 6 matches in all competitions this season in which they have conceded first (3 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat), already bettering their record from the whole of the previous season in that regard (2 wins, 2 draws, 18 defeats).